The Different Sides of Heroism
by emzypemzy
Summary: One shot for now. A look at the different ways someone can be a hero. Morgan just now. Garcia added :
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I don't own Criminal Minds....and I think my mind is preoccupied with Derek Morgan...maybe I need to work on that...

The Different Sides of Heroism

Derek Morgan

Penelope Garcia would go so far as to say that Derek Morgan was a "Noir Hero", in fact she had even told him as much, although he didn't believe her. But she supposed that that was part of what made him so heroic: he didn't see what he did as heroics, he just did it. It was his gut reaction to save and protect, to treasure and to help.

From small things such as making her feel better with a cheeky nickname or a flirtatious comment to the big things like saving her life when Jason Clark Battle came back, he was an all round hero in her book. The little things he did he would brush away as nothing more than him being a friend, which was true – that was all he was being – but in being a true friend he did so much more than he even realised. He boosted her confidence; he made her feel safe, loved and protected. He could make her smile on even her darkest days and him and his comments encouraged her to be just as shameless in her flirting, helping to get her through the tough cases and the hellish nightmares.

To JJ, Morgan was the one that would do anything to protect them all. His first instinct was to protect the rest of the team before himself. She supposed it stemmed from his childhood, his need and want to protect people after his father had been snatched away from right in front of him when nobody stood by his side to help him protect the others in that small store. She didn't need to be a profiler to know that part of her friend was trying to live up to his father's memory, to make him proud. And she respected him for that. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that if she was ever in a situation that warranted it Morgan would do all that he could to protect her, and not just her, but Henry and Will as well.

Morgan was almost like a big brother to Reid, he was the one he never had and he undoubtedly looked up to him. Reid, although easily confused by Morgan's seeming irrationality, was a little bit in awe of the older profiler and his actions. He knew that part of those actions would be considered stupid by some and reckless by others, or even as actions that showed complete distrust in his colleagues, but Reid knew that Morgan would not change because of some harsh words. People could think what they liked; Morgan didn't care so long as his friends and his family were safe. That was all that really mattered, and Reid respected him for that, for his bravery and although he sometimes despaired of Morgan's seeing disregard for his own life he knew that when it came to crunch time Morgan would fight to the end, for both his family and himself. But aside from the big things, Morgan was a hero in his eyes for staying with him during the Anthrax poisoning, for being the one there at the hospital when he was recovering. That small thing made him a gleaming hero in Reid's eyes so much more than the big things. Morgan had cheered him up then, kept him company, and that was worth so much more than a life risking act.

To Emily, Morgan was the partner that she knew would always have her back. He was somewhat of a gentleman in that he would seem to be almost brotherly protective of her and JJ and she knew that whether it was a jerk at a bar or an UNSUB Morgan wouldn't let them flounder. He would come to their aid with whatever the situation warranted. He seemed to come out of nowhere half of the time. He knew that they could hold their own in anything and would hang back, let them do what they did best, but they all knew that he was hanging on the side lines waiting just in case he was needed. He was the same with them as he was with his family and that touched Emily greatly; after being the new addition to the team she had felt it was going to be hard to settle in, but Derek Morgan had helped her fit right in. They all had, but it helped that he had been a bit like the brother she had never had in order to make her feel like she truly was welcome and truly was a part of it.

Rossi felt that Morgan was reckless, feckless and shameless. And he respected him for it. As strange as it sounded he knew that Morgan was somewhat an echo of who he used to be and he could not criticize the man for it; that would be hypocritical after all. However, that didn't stop him from thinking that some of his actions, although heroic and brave, bordered on ridiculously stupid and showed that he still had some trust issues. But Rossi could see from the young man that his trust issues were deep seated and severe, something atrocious had happened in his past that was for sure, and part of the reason he did what he did stemmed from whatever had happened to him. Rossi didn't know what it was, and he would not go prodding into his life, that was not his concern. Although his trust issues were a player in how he acted, Rossi knew that most of the reason behind Morgan's reaction and his actions came from his heart not his head. It was his gut reaction to put himself in danger rather than his friends. The man had a big heart and although his ego could sometimes rival it in size he knew that ego did not drive him to protect.

Hotch knew that Morgan's past – his dad dying in front of him and then Carl Buford's abuse – was where his heroism had rooted from. He knew that because, in both cases, Morgan had felt so helpless he tried to protect those around him so that they would never ever have to feel like that. Never have to feel the complete and utter terror that he had felt. And Hotch could not knock that, the man had more reason that most to just give up and yet he had stayed strong, kept going on and had dedicated his life to stop things like that from ever happening again. That alone was a show of his true testament to his heroic nature in Hotch's opinion. However this didn't stop him from thinking that some of the actions Morgan performed didn't show his trust in his colleagues. He had told him so once, and although he would still stand by his call, he did realise that, had Morgan not driven that ambulance out of the hospital, none of them would be alive at this moment. And overall, that was a bigger impact that whether or not he trusted them as he should, because without him and how he had acted they would not be there, Jack would have no father and many families would be less a good member. At the time Hotch had flipped, he knew he had said some things that weren't strictly true, had hurt his fellow agent, but that was all swept under the carpet when Morgan had stayed at the BAU. He had admitted to himself then that maybe he had been wrong about Morgan. His heroics were not borne from distrust; they were borne of panic that his friends would die if he did not act.

Jack Hotchner idolised Derek Morgan almost as much as he did his daddy. Morgan was like a Knight of The Round Table who had slain the dragon and saved the Princess from the tallest tower. He was big and strong and he would play football with him and do silly games whenever he was in the office waiting on his daddy. Derek Morgan was one sixth of an elite crime fighting team of superheroes in Jack Hotchner's mind. They showed him that good guys won and he wanted to be just like them when he grew up, just like Derek, and just like his daddy.


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: So I wasn't sure if I was going to add more to this but I had written this so thought it couldn't hurt to post it :) I seem to find it easier to write about Morgan and Garcia, whether together or separately. My other one will be updated after this weekend I think :)

I don't own Criminal Minds.

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The Different Sides of Heroism

Penelope Garcia

She would never see herself as a hero but in the eyes of the team she most definitely was:

To JJ she was her gal pal who would be there at the drop of a hat for anything at any time. She would babysit Henry whenever her and Will needed some time together and after every gruelling case there was always a lovely message and silly little gift waiting on her desk. JJ almost has as many fluffy pens and pictures as Garcia now. Garcia was the heart of the team, JJ knew that, the others knew that, but she never saw it that way. She didn't realise that every little thing she did spoke volumes of her love for her friends and that something as little as a warm smile when they walked into the room could boost their spirits to no end and a single happy comment would have them ready to face yet another case head on. There was no end to the woman's inspiring qualities. And yet she was clueless. And for all the little things, Garcia was a hero in JJ's eyes. The woman had no boundaries on the amount of love she held.

Garcia wasn't just a Technical Analyst that they used for cases; Hotch knew she was so much more. She was the integral part of their team. She was the reason Morgan didn't get sucked into the darkness, she kept JJ afloat and she soothed Emily's concerns. She brought Reid out of many a serious moods. The woman was a god send. She had revolutionised the way the team worked. She was dogged in her attempts to find them the information that they needed and she was resourceful, talented. He had greater respect for her since the case in Royal, Indiana when he had asked her to profile the victims. He knew that it was a big ask, but it was necessary and she had excelled. He knew that it had almost broken her spirit but she had persevered because of all of the possible future victims that she had to help. That made her a hero in his book.

Rossi respected Garcia's talent, her passion for her work and her sheer determination. But what he was in awe of was her heart. He had never met anyone who had such a boundless amount of love and compassion for other human beings. She was a marvel to his mind that had seen too much darkness, too many demons. She was an angel in comparison to what he was used to, and that put her way up there in his book. She did above and beyond her job description and managed to make each one of them smile even when they were close to breaking. She could pull him back from the edge with a witty comment or some of her and Morgan's somewhat nauseating banter. It was all part of the package and it made her 'her' and she truly was a modern day hero.

To Reid Garcia was the big sister who would tease him loveably and help him with the whole 'being normal' thing, although she believed normal was overrated. She helped him when he wanted to leave a message for his mum during the Anthrax business, she was always on the other end of a phone if he needed her, and she even put up with him when he hurt his knee. She didn't complain, didn't moan and didn't think he was ridiculous, she teased him, she even went so far as to flirt a few times, and she helped put a smile back on his face after a particularly bad conversation with his mum. She was a godsend; that much he knew. She batted away what she did with a laugh and a wave of her brightly painted nails but Reid knew that every little thing she did made her into a hero in the eyes of the team. She was one of them and she knew just how to 'save' each and every one of them.

Garcia was definitely a shining hero in Emily's eyes – although maybe she would appreciate glittery hero more. Whatever the prefix, the root remained the same: the woman was a hero. A saviour from being pulled under by past demons and new ones that joined in the fight. After the case involving her friend from her younger years she had almost crumbled, almost shattered never to be put back together, that was until Garcia had called JJ and they had come over and kept her together before she could completely break. No matter what the ask either she would always do it, give it her all and you would end up with the answers that you needed and with a little something else you never knew that you wanted. She was a true friend, ready to listen, ready to fight for you, ready to just wrap you up in a hug and make her feel safe. She didn't realise just what she did for her. She was a star in Emily's eyes.

She was his Baby Girl, his God Given Solace and his best friend. Morgan truly believed that someone must have been looking down on him when he met her, because she had changed his life. She always knew when he was feeling down and knew just how to pick him back up, how to pull him away from the edge of the dark abyss. She could make him laugh, make him smile on even the darkest of days. She would never believe him if he told her, but she was his hero. His Baby Girl was a super hero in his eyes. She could say all the time that the rest of the team were "her superheroes" but in reality they were doing their job, she always went above and beyond and made them able to do their job – she was the true hero at the heart of it all. She was his solace, his best friend and so much more. He would forever tell her just how amazing she was and he would try to help her through because even heroes need a little help, and she was the strongest person he knew, and yet the softest at the same time. She was their hero and all of them would protect her and heart big heart of gold no matter what.

To Jack Hotchner, Penelope Garcia was "the fun one", she was like a crazy Aunty who loved him and let him have ice cream, who took him to play at the park and in rides in her magical car with no roof. And she helped his daddy smile. She wasn't just a hero in his eyes, she was an angel and every time he saw her he would keep looking for her halo. She had to have one, he was sure of it.


End file.
